NU finally supports female presidents: Abdurrahman
PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): After allowing weeks of controversy, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Abdurrahman Wahid finally stated on Friday that his organization supported women presidents.
In his address to a seminar on gender here, Abdurrahman, who is better known as Gus Dur, said NU would support Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri for president, arguing that Islam did not oppose female presidents.
"I support Megawati for president because I have knowledge of religion, not because I have a vested interest," said Abdurrahman.
"We cannot think only about our own interests, because the state does not belong only to a certain group," he told some 200 ulemas who attended the seminar.
The seminar was part of preparations for the next NU congress in Kediri, East Java, next November.
Abdurrahmman previously argued many NU ulemas still could not accept a woman to lead the country, although he added that personally he would support Megawati, his close friend, as the next president.
In the provisional vote count completed on Thursday, PDI Perjuangan won the elections and secured 154 of the 462 contested seats for the House of Representatives (DPR). Golkar came second with 120 seats, while the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) controlled 51, 39 and 35 seats, respectively.
Despite the controversy on the gender issue, only PPP officially declared that it opposes a female president among the Islamic parties. Chairman Hamzah Haz said the decision was based on the fatwa(edict) of PPP's council of ulemas.
Abdurrahman, long known as Megawati's closest ally and even a mentor, said after a meeting last month with President B.J. Habibie that support for Megawati might no longer be forthcoming as he could not guarantee ulemas would accept her presidency.
In a meeting with NU ulemas, however, Abdurrahman deplored those who opposed a female president saying they actually did not understand Islamic laws.
"Those who said that it was haram (forbidden by Islam) for a woman to become president actually do not understand fiqih (studies of laws)," he said.
Said Agil Siraj, one of NU's executives, expected Abdurrahman's statement on the female presidential candidate would end the controversy.
"We support Megawati as the presidential candidate because she is the only female candidate," he said.
PKB chairman Matori Abdul Djalil said with the statement of the party's founder that PKB would back up Megawati in the next presidential election.
"With Gus Dur's decision, PKB fully supports Megawati in the next presidential election. And we have prepared a coalition to support her," said Matori.
Meanwhile, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said on Friday that the party's support for its presidential candidate B.J. Habibie remained solid although he acknowledged the defeat his party suffered in the elections.
"It (the candidacy) is a final decision," Akbar said.(45/prb)